A Comprehensive Review of Hand Robotics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation

Abstract

Introduction: Hand control is frequently compromised by a cervical spinal cord injury, making it difficult for
the patient to grasp and handle objects. This can have a detrimental effect on the patient’s independence
and quality of life. For those who have suffered a spinal cord injury to be independent, hand function must be
restored. It is believed that rehabilitation efforts should focus primarily on hand function loss following severe
spinal cord injury (SCI). In order to improve diminished hand strength and dexterity, passive and active assistive
devices are being utilized constantly often. The field of soft robotics is an evolving field that blends lightweight
components with traditional robotics concepts to potentially create an entirely novel type of active assistive
technology. Customizable and portable structures enable interaction between humans and robots through soft
robotic devices that are assistive. This review is aimed at highlighting the role of hand robotics in spinal cord
injury rehabilitation to enhance the activities of daily living for people who have spinal cord injury-related hand
limitations.
Methodology: To construct this review article, extensive research was carried out on various databases like:
Pubmed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate etc. Researches done in the last 10 years only were included in the
study.
Result & Conclusion: With this review we want to conclude that hand robotics work as an efficient means to
support hand function in people who have had paralysis of the upper limbs due to spinal cord injuries